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PNS Daily Newscast - January 21, 2019

Could the nation’s airports be the next pressure points in the government shutdown? Also on our Monday rundown: Calls go out to improve food safety; and a new report renews calls for solutions to Detroit’s water woes.

Farmers Start to Mix It Up: Cover Crop "Cocktails"

PHOTO: As more farmers across the state and the country turn to cover crops, the latest trend of mixing species can have an even greater impact. Photo credit: Natural Resources Conservation Service.

January 22, 2014

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The use of cover crops is having positive effects on the environment and farmers' bottom lines - and it appears the latest trend will be even more beneficial.

Cover crops are used in conjunction with cash crops mainly to help limit nutrient runoff and erosion on those acres during the off-season.

At the Gabe Brown ranch, covers now are used on all acres every year, and Brown said the next major shift will be to mixing species.

"In many areas, they're using monoculture cover crops, either rye or rye-grass," he said. "Well, what we're finding is that by adding other species to those mixes, such as a legume or a brassica like radish, the benefit will increase substantially. So, we're going to see a big increase in producers using poly-culture covers."

While cover crop use is increasing, they're currently found on less than 2 percent of cropland in the Mississippi River Basin. Brown said he expects that to change as more farmers realize the positive impact on water quality and soil health. He said it also can really pay off to use cover crops along with other land conservation and stewardship practices.

"Our average yields are about 25 percent higher than county average, and yet we're doing this for a fraction of the cost," he said, "So, we're putting many more dollars in our pockets - but then along with that, the important thing to me is, we're regenerating these resources, making them healthier for a future generation."

Brown's operation is in North Dakota, but he said the strategies for cover crops would work in Arkansas. Producers just need to match up the best species for the local growing conditions.